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Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care

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Department of Midwifery

About the Department

We’re a close-knit community of teachers, researchers and students shaping the conversation around midwifery and influencing changes in maternity care. As a team, we find new ways to improve practice and boost the understanding of childbirth in the wider community.

Working together and combining our expertise, we’re constantly investing in knowledge about complexities mothers face and pushing the boundaries in research. And the work we do is vital for the wider community too. We challenge our students to become the curious and confident midwifes the healthcare sector needs. The future depends on them to provide top quality care and find ways to support mothers in our society. Our graduates grow into senior roles within the healthcare sector and become leading researchers in the field.

Students learning in the midwifery simulation ward

Building a brilliant team  

In our diverse team, we have a range of experienced teaching fellows, clinical teaching fellows and lecturers who are supported by our postgraduate research students. The team feed their vast experience and expertise into their teaching to help students prepare for the wide range of challenges they’ll face in their midwifery career. We’re recognised for our high quality teaching across the University – Dr Shawn Walker from the Department recently won King’s Teaching Excellence Award for inclusive teaching.

We want to be the best at what we do - we want to carry out top quality research and provide excellent education that prepares students for practice.

Dr Sam Bassett, Head of Department

Creating midwives of the future 

From day one, our students discover what it means to be a midwife. They experience day-to-day challenges of the profession in a variety of maternity services – from labour wards to working in the community. By their final year, midwifery students work their own caseload and support mothers throughout their pregnancy. When they leave King’s, they have all the knowledge and techniques they need to feel confident and ready for their career.  

Our courses

Transforming care through research 

Our researchers explore a variety of areas in maternity care and infant health – from breastfeeding and birth planning, to mental health and weight management. We have two internationally renowned midwifery professors – Professor Jane Sandall and Professor Debra Bick. They support the teaching in the Department and are known for their leading research in complex interventions, safety and implementation.   

The team collaborates with other faculties within the University to combine expertise, explore the unknown and ask new questions.  

Some of our current research focuses on: 

  • Maternity services delivery and organisation
  • Social cultural shaping of maternal health and policy 
  • Complex interventions and safety 
  • The impact of pregnancy and birth on physical and mental health  
  • Vulnerable groups (domestic abuse, childhood sexual abuse and trafficked women)

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